


My Light in the Dark

by cloverlotus



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Drunk Driving, F/M, Hacker Felicity Smoak, Hurt Felicity Smoak, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, John Diggle & Felicity Smoak Friendship, Protective John Diggle, Protective Oliver, Protective Roy Harper, Roy Harper and Felicity Smoak Friendship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-29
Updated: 2017-08-29
Packaged: 2018-12-21 10:49:20
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11942547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cloverlotus/pseuds/cloverlotus
Summary: Oliver tells Felicity that he can't be with her and be the Arrow at the same time. Felicity gets into an accident and it takes almost losing her, for Oliver to realize how much he needs her.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Please read, review, give constructive criticism and more!
> 
> Also, this story will include events from the show, but different outcomes and dialogue.
> 
> xoxo cloverlotus

 

**Chapter One: However Much She Needs**

_"We need to talk," Oliver stated solemnly._

_"I don't want to talk," Felicity started. "Which I know coming from me is a little unprecedented... but as soon as we talk, it's over." They had just reached the end of the hospital hallway; they had visited Diggle, Lyla, and baby Sara. Felicity knew what was coming. She already felt her heart tearing in half._

_"I'm so sorry." Oliver started up. He knew he was breaking her heart, but he was breaking his own as well. "I'm thought I could be me and the Arrow... but I can't. Not now, maybe not ever."_

_"Then say never! Stop..dangling maybes. Say it's never going to work out between us. Say you never loved me, say-" Oliver swiftly stopped Felicity's rant by gently cupping her face and kissing her._

_It was so bittersweet. On one hand, this was their first kiss, something he's wanted for so long. But why wasn't he enjoying it?_

_Because he knew that he'd just broken the very last person he'd ever wanted to hurt._

_He gently broke the kiss, his lips still hovering over hers, hands still cupping her cheeks. He pulled back slightly to look her in the eyes._

_"Don't ask me to say I don't love you." He spoke gently. Felicity slowly pulled her face out of his hands._

_"I told you as soon as we talked, it would be over." And she was gone._

Felicity wasn't much of a drinker, but here she was in Verdant, music and lights pulsing around her, downing shots of tequila. Who in the hell does Oliver Queen think he is? She feels like he's playing with her feelings. He just keeps stringing her along to ditch her.

She found herself reaching for her cellphone for the third time that night. She went to her call log and pressed his name.

_Oliver_.

_"Hey, Felicity. I'm sorry I missed your calls. What's_ -" Oliver started before Felicity swiftly cut him off.

"O'lver!" She growled. "Who in Goo-*hiccup*- Google's name do you *hiccup* think y-you are?!"

" _Felicity, where are you?_ " he replied sternly.

"Why? S-so you can *hiccup* kiss me again?" she laughed angrily. "You have some fuc-"

" _Fe-li-ci-ty_ ," he growled into the receiver. " _That's it, I'm tracing your-"_ she hung up before he could finish and ripped the battery and tracker out of her phone. He couldn't track the phone if the tracker wasn't in. She had two more shots of Tequila and stood to leave, knowing that Verdant would be the first place Oliver would check.

She stood from the barstool and stumbled slightly, the pulsing lights making her head spin. She felt arms slide around her waist from behind.

"Hey slow down Barbie," a deep voice breathed into her ear. She felt his hot breath on her neck, causing her to squirm uncomfortably. "Let's get you out of here, I can show you some real fun, baby." Slightly inebriated, her brain went to everything Dig had taught her. She stomped her heel on the guy's foot, then jammed her elbow into his ribs before stumbling off and out of the club.

The cool, brisk night air felt amazing on her skin and she headed to her red mini. She fumbled for her car keys in her purse. It took her a few tries to unlock it, but she finally did and slowly pulled off away from the club. She slightly rolled down her window and picked up speed, swerving slightly as she headed for Big Belly Burger. She parked her car partially on the curb, and stumbled out of the car.

Once inside, she sat at a booth, closed her eyes and exhaled. She was definitely drunk and she was starving.

"Felicity?" a female voice asked.

"Caaaaarlyyy!" She sang out with a huge smile on her face.

"Felicity, sweetie, were you drinking?" Carly asked in a low voice, tinged with concern.

"Yeeeessss," Felicity replied in the same tone then giggled.

"I'm gonna call Oliver t-"

"No!" Felicity shouted. "No O'lver, that- that- douche! I *hiccup* am not talking to O'lver again. Please Carly, food? So hungry."

"I'll grab you some food and call Dig instead. Is that okay?" Carly asked patiently. Felicity nodded quickly and smiled.

"Okay, wait here." Carly instructed before heading for the kitchen. After she left Felicity thought to herself momentarily before deciding she didn't want Dig to pick her up. So she left before Carly could return. She paced to her car and slid inside before speeding off.

She didn't know where she was headed, she just needed to get away. She decided on going somewhere else to find food. As she sped down the road, swerving every which way, she felt her eyes drooping slightly, she crashed into a tree, the impact smashing her body headfirst through the windshield.

Her frozen body lay on the hood of the car, on top of the shattered glass of the windshield. Amazingly, she was still conscious, but her head was bleeding profusely. She blinked a few times before slowly crawling the rest of the way through the window and rolling on to the ground with a thud. On impact, she cried out in agonizing pain. Her once white shirt was blood stained and so was the tan peacoat she wore. She slowly stood using the car to pull herself up, hardly able to see in the darkness because her glasses were gone.

She saw the flashing lights and felt the sirens ringing through her ears. Then everything faded to black.

_Oliver's POV_

Oliver headed to the lair after Felicity left the hospital. He'd just kissed her for the first time, all while breaking her heart. " _I told you as soon as we talked, it would be over."_ Her pained words rang in his ears. He needed a distraction. So he went to the lair to workout. Midway through the salmon ladder he heard his phone ring for the third time. He really didn't want to be bothered, but clearly this person wasn't giving up.

He jumped down and checked his phone, seeing Felicity's name across the screen.

"Hey, Felicity. I'm sorry I missed your calls. What's-" Oliver began, before Felicity cut him off..

" _O'lver_!" She growled. " _Who in Goo-*hiccup*- Google's name do you *hiccup* think y-you are?_!"

"Felicity, where are you?" he asked, feeling a mixture of annoyance and concern.

" _Why? S-so you can *hiccup* kiss me again?"_ she laughed angrily. " _You have some fuc_ -"

"Fe-li-ci-ty," he growled into the receiver. _"_ That's it, I'm tracing your- _"_ Oliver stopped short, realizing that Felicity had hung up on him. He exhaled and proceeded to use the app Felicity created, so he could track her phone. Clearly she was drunk and he desperately needed to ensure that she made it home safe and sound.

Upon starting up the app, Oliver saw that Felicity couldn't be traced. _Oh you've got to be shitting me_ , he thought to himself. She had removed her tracker. He headed upstairs to Verdant, hoping that's where she was.

His eyes flitted around the room, searching for the blonde IT genius, but he didn't see her. He moved through the crowd forcefully and headed for the bar. Bailey, the bartender currently serving drinks, looked up just in time to see Oliver approaching.

"Bailey, have you seen-"

"Felicity?" Bailey chimed in, tucking her dark locks behind her ear. Oliver nodded. "You just missed her. I think she left with some guy, he had his arms around her waist, they looked pretty cozy. When I looked up again they were gone." Oliver felt his heart ripped to shreds, Felicity had come to Verdant, got drunk, and the with some guy. Then he felt a wave of anger. _Felicity_ had left with _some guy?_

_"_ What _guy?"_ he asked clearly annoyed that Bailey would let a drunken Felicity leave with some stranger.

"Umm, I didn't really get a good look at him," Bailey admitted sheepishly, sensing Oliver's anger. He stormed out of Verdant and tried to call Felicity's phone, but it went straight to voice-mail. The phone rang immediately after he'd hung up, so he answered without hesitation.

"Felicity?!" he called.

"Oliver? It's Carly, Felicity's here at Big Belly. She's really drunk, please come pick her up." Carly said softly.

"I'm on my way. Be there in five. " Oliver said before hanging up and jumping on his Ducati. As he said, he got there in five minutes. When he stepped inside, he was greeted by the sight of Carly texting furiously. She stopped the moment she saw him. "Where's Felicity? "

"I'm sorry, Oliver." Carly apologized, sipping her phone into her apron pocket. "I was just texting you. I came to bring her food after we got off the phone. She was just...gone." Oliver let out a frustrated sigh, while dragging his hands over his face.

"Was she alone?" he asked, remembering the guy Bailey mentioned earlier. Carly nodded. "Let me know if she comes back. I'm gonna go look for her."

"I will," Carly started. "Let me know if you find her or hear from her. Should I call Dig so he can help?"

"No, Lyla just gave birth, let them enjoy their new baby." Oliver smiled weakly before leaving. Back on his Ducati, he sped through the streets searching for any sign of Felicity. After about five minutes, he spotted a bright red car totaled into a tree, the scene surrounded by yellow police tape. Once close enough, Oliver hopped off of his bike and walked towards the car.

One glance at the license plate told him that the car was Felicity's.

He took in the scene before him. The hood of the vehicle was bent around the large trunk of the tree. The windshield was shattered on the driver's side, glass sprinkled on top of the hood. Upon closer, inspection, Oliver could see a pool of dark red blood on the hood, slowly dripping to the ground below. He felt his heart break and prayed that wherever Felicity was, she was alive.

The presence of the police tape told him that an ambulance had to have picked her up. He jumped back on his Ducati, heart beating a mile a minute, and floored it to Starling Hospital.

"Felicity! Felicity Smoak! Is she here?!" Oliver called out, jogging to the counter in the hospital. The receptionist started at him for a second, taken aback by his loud, panicked voice. She picked up the phone and dialed a number.

"Hey, do we have a Felicity Smoak back there?" she asked. Oliver's fingers drummed nervously against the counter. "Uh-huh... yes there's a man here...Oliver Queen, asking about her..." Oliver began getting impatient as he let out an annoyed sigh. "Yes, **the** Oliver Queen, what other Oliver Queen do you know of in Starling?...K, thanks." the small woman hung up the phone.

"Sooo..." Oliver started.

"Miss Smoak is in sugery, there will be a doctor out here to speak with you shortly." she said gently. Oliver sauntered over to the waiting area and sat with his face in his hands, for what felt like forever.

Moments later a doctor stepped up to Oliver. "Mr. Queen?" he asked.

"Just Oliver, he responded solemnly, as he stood before the doctor.

"Oliver," he repeated back. "I'm Doctor Idlas. I wanted to get you up to date on Miss Smoak's condition. She was in a car accident and she lost a lot of blood. Unfortunately, she has the rare blood type of O+, and we just don't have enough-"

"I'm O+, give her my blood. However much she needs." Oliver demanded.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey readers! So I noticed my first two reviewers on fanfiction.net pointed out the same thing: Felicity drunk driving. I assure you, this issue will be addressed and is just setting up for a larger story.

**Chapter Two: Do You Smoak?**

It was the day after Felicity's accident. Oliver was still wrapping his head around the idea of this remarkable IT genius drunk driving. It just didn't make sense. Felicity was so much smarter than this.

"Oliver, you know I wouldn't-" she started.

"Felicity, I know. But you were-"

"I know." Felicity interrupted, allowing her words to hang in the deafening silence.

"Miss Smoak," Dr. Abell started. "We need to speak about your blood tests prior to the transfusion. Mr. Queen, could you give us the room, please?"

"Of course, Doctor." He nodded before turning to Felicity. "I'm gonna head to the maternity wing, check on Dig and Lyla." Felicity nodded as he placed a kiss on her temple, then left. Felicity sighed.

"Give it to me, doc. I mean the news, not...that. Not that you aren't attractive, but I know what I said came out completely wrong and that's not what I meant, I meant the blood test that's obviously-" she rambled.

"Miss Smoak... do you have a drug problem?"

* * *

 

As Oliver approached Lyla's room, he saw Diggle walking out.

"Hey man, they just fell asleep." He said, referring to Lyla and baby Sara. Oliver nodded.

"How are they?" Oliver asked.

"Good, Lyla is the happiest I've ever seen her. How's Felicity? I was just about to pay her a visit."

"Um, she's okay," Oliver started. "She got off really lucky. Mild concussion, stitches, broken wrist, bumps and bruises, but she's okay."

"That's good news man!" Diggle smiled.

"Yea, but Dig, something isn't right. We know Felicity. This is the same person who called me at 3 in the morning to drive her home because she had too much to drink. She wouldn't -"

"Get behind the wheel drunk." Dig finished for him. "So are you suspecting foul play?"

"I don't know, something is just... off." Oliver replied, deep in thought.

"So maybe we should go see her. Get as much of the story as she remembers." Dig suggested.

"You're right. Let's go, " Oliver replied, before turning on his heel to lead the way.

* * *

 

"Miss Smoak, do you have a drug problem?" Dr. Abell asked seriously. Felicity was caught off guard by the question.

"No, absolutely not!" she quickly retorted. "I've never even done drugs before. I mean, there was that one time during my junior year of college that I had a pot brownie, but-"

"Miss Smoak, we found a strange... _substance_... in your bloodstream. We have scientists on sight trying to figure out more about it, but if you know what you took, and can tell us, then it'll save a lot of trouble. Look, you are a smart young woman... so intelligent. I know this may be embarrassing for you, but you need to suck up your pride and stop lying to me." Dr. Abell explained. Felicity shook her head vigorously.

"Dr. Abell, with all due respect, I am _a lot_ of things, but a liar isn't one of them." Felicity stated, fighting to keep her calm. How dare he?! "I told you once and I'll say it again, I am not a drug user. Whatever you found in my blood, I suppose you check again."

"Miss Smoak do you get blackout drunk often? " he asked her while picking up his pen and clipboard.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me!" she growled through clenched teeth, pulling out the saline IV from her arm. She threw her legs over the side of the bed and limped towards the door.

"Where are you going Miss Smoak? You haven't been discharged, you can't leave!" Abell yelled heading for the door as well.

"Oh yeah? Watch me!" she yelled. Abell reached the door before she did and stood in front of it.

"MISS SMOAK YOU NEED TO GET BACK IN YOUR BED AND ANSWER THE GODDAMN QUESTIONS, NOW!" Abell yelled pointing at the bed. "WHAT ARE YOU SMOKING ON SMOAK?!" What the hell is up with this guy? In that instant, as if on cue, Oliver opened the door.

"What the hell is going on in here?" he asked, eyes wide, with Diggle following behind.

"Take me home!" Felicity demanded still glaring at Abell. Abell refused to break eye contact with her and said,

"Miss Smoak is not discharged, so no you _cannot_ take her home." he growled. Oliver cocked his head at Abell, after hearing his tone. Diggle stepped towards Felicity, pulling her back to sit on the bed.

The sight of her spoke volumes to him. She wasn't wearing glasses, (thankfully that morning, Oliver swung by her apartment to get her contacts and clothes). Her usually tamed blonde locks were wild and wavy over her shoulders. She had dark circles under her eyes and her lips were just slightly dry. But what got Diggle's attention the most were her eyes. Her blue eyes were wild with anger, pain, and sadness.

"I'll ask again what the hell is going on here?" Oliver asked looking between Abell and Felicity. "Felicity... what happened?"

"Your genius friend is on drugs, that's what happened!" Abell yelled with a wild look in his eye. Diggle and Oliver locked eyes for half a second, thinking the same thing:

Something wasn't right about him.

"Please, bring me home, Oliver." Felicity said just above a whisper.

"Dr. Abell, I assure you, Felicity will be fine, I'll be bringing her home." Oliver stated.

The drive to Felicity's building was a quiet one. Dig and Oliver walked her upstairs to her apartment. Once inside, Felicity flopped down on the sofa before groaning in pain. Dingle approached first, sitting on the sofa across from her.

"I think we need to talk about what happened last night." He said seriously.

"I- I could've killed someone last night. Or more than one someones, or myself, I can't believe that I was so stupid, I-" she choked out.

"Hey," Oliver started gently. "You know how you always tell me not to make everything my fault?"

"Yeah, but that doesn't apply to me." She retorted quickly.

"Feli-"

"Oliver, please stop trying to justify my actions. I made a mistake, okay? I take full responsibility." Felicity said looking down at the cast on her left arm.

"Let's just be happy that you're alive and well. That's the most important thing: your health." Dig jumped in.

"Yeah, my health and the fact that, thank Google, I didn't kill anyone."

"Felicity, what happened last night?" Oliver asked, sitting next to her. She let out a heavy sigh.

"To be completely honest, I don't remember most of it. We talked, I left and I stopped at the bunker to grab my tablet, but I was so stressed out that I decided to get a drink at Verdant first." She paused for a minute trying to remember, while Oliver and Dig sat patiently. "I saw Thea, she was filling in for a sick bartender and I told her the gist of what we talked about at the hospital."

"How much did you tell her?" Oliver asked, Felicity could see his tension build. Dig, left out of the loop, spoke up:

"What did I miss last night?" he asked looking between them.

"Oliver, relax, I obviously didn't tell her that you're the Arrow." Felicity responded, evading Dig's question as to not embarrass herself. "It's a shame that I even have to tell you that."

"Oh, so ya'll just gonna act like ya'll didn't hear me?" Dig asked, half-jokingly, knowing that he was missing a part of the picture.

"Okay, so you told Thea that we talked, then what?" Oliver asked.

"She made me a few drinks. After the third one, she told me to drink as much as I wanted but that she was going to put me in a cab to make sure I didn't drive. Ironic, isn't it?" Felicity released a humorless laugh.

"The drinks..." Oliver muttered, looking off to the side as if he was deep in thought. "Felicity, how much did you drink last night?"

"Umm, five I think.. I had three shots of tequila, and two of this "Verdantini" that Thea created." she sighed remembering the night before. "I'm kind of a lightweight, but that was not enough for me to be so inebriated that I would make an irrational decision such as driving."

"What are you saying? You think somebody roofied you?" Diggle asked, trying to consider the possibility. Oliver looked to Felicity, awaiting her answer.

"No, not roofied... something else. That thing you guys walked on with Dr. Abell and myself? He was accusing me of being on drugs. He said that they had found a strange substance in my blood stream." Felicity explained.

"Do you think it has anything to do with my blood?" Oliver asked, trying to weigh every possible scenario.

"Wait! You had a blood transfusion?!" Diggle asked.

"No, the blood they tested was prior to the blood transfusion." Felicity responded to Oliver.

"Felicity... do you remember leaving with a guy last night?" Oliver asked, remembering what Bailey told him.

"What? No! Why would you think that?" Felicity asked curiously.

"Bailey said some guy had his arms around your waist." Oliver said, unable to keep that small bit of jealousy out if his voice. Felicity took a moment to think.

"Oh, when I was getting up to leave, some guy put his arms around me and started hitting on me," she said sheepishly. "I used some of the self defense that Dig taught me and I got out of there."

"So you were rational enough to use self defense, but you still managed to get behind the wheel." Dig stated. "Something's not adding up. What happened when you left?"

"I... don't remember." she replied softly, looking into nothingness. She shifted on the couch, and folded her legs under her. Oliver desperately needed to know the rest of the story, but he knew after the night Felicity had, she needed to rest.

"Felicity, just a few more questions for now, and then I want you to get some rest. You had a pretty traumatic night." Oliver said gently, putting an arm around her shoulder.

She felt slightly awkward having his arm there. The second he touched her, her mind flew to his words the night before. How he couldn't be with her and be the Arrow. How he'd admitted to loving her. How he kissed her. And a single tear slid down her cheek. It was too overwhelming to have him so close right now.

"Hey, don't cry," Oliver whispered. "Get some rest. Me and Dig are going to find out what happened last night." That was another thing weighing on her mind. Her feelings were scattered and she felt useless. She'd put lives at risk the night before, including her own. She couldn't remember a single thing between leaving Verdant and waking up to Oliver beside her hospital bed the night before.

It was exhausting her. He was right, she should get some rest. But not before giving every piece of info she could think of from the night before. She needed to make sure her guys had something to go off of. They all knew something odd happened last night.

She moved away from Oliver and while seated, streched out her arms and legs.

"Did you leave your drinks unattended at all?" Oliver asked, trying to get more answers, before he sends her to bed.

"No, of course not. Thea went to mingle when Bailey took over the bar; every drink when straight from Bailey's hands to mine." Felicity answered.

"I think we need to talk with Bailey." Diggle said to Oliver.

"Yeah, and we also need to swing by the hospital and get our hands on Felicity's blood test." Oliver suggested.

"Great, I can meet you guys at the lair and run some tests of my own." Felicity said.

"Actually, I'd rather you sit this one out. You need to get some rest, Felicity." Oliver said, carefully, already knowing she would debate.

"Are you kidding me? This is all happening because of me. I have to help!" she argued.

"You can help by calling your friends at Star Labs. Let them take care of this one." Oliver replied.

"Let's head to the lair now." Dig said to Oliver, he then looked to Felicity. "We can drop off a comm for you and you can follow along from your tablet."

"Fine," she sighed. Oliver pressed a kiss on her forehead before he stood to leave.

"Let us know if you need anything at all. Okay?" He asked, she just nodded in response. "I'll be back in 20 minutes to drop off the comm."

Diggle and Oliver left the apartment with Felicity locking the door behind them. She figured it wouldn't hurt to take a nap until Oliver got back. After all, she was beyond exhausted. She grabbed a blanket from her room and got settled on the couch. Moments later she drifted off.

Felicity woke to someone knocking on the door. Assuming it was Oliver with the comm, she opened it.

"Miss Felicity Smoak, you're under arrest." Captain Lance started, while placing a cuff on her wrist. "You have the right to remain silent..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I know this chapter may seem a bit all over the place. But it's all part of a bigger story and it will all make sense soon enough.
> 
> Coming Soon: Felicity has been arrested. Plus the Arrow has a chat with Dr. Abell and Bailey.
> 
> Please read, review, tell me what you love, tell me what you hate, what you think is going to happen, what you want to happen and so on so forth.
> 
> Sidenote: Right now, the only people that know Oliver is the Arrow are Felicity, Dig, Lyla, Barry (who will come up later with Cisco and Caitlyn), and Roy, (who will also be appearing soon). Thea will find out some other time.
> 
> Xoxo, cloverlotus


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three: I Didn't Mean to Make You Uncomfortable**

Oliver walked up to Felicity's apartment door and lightly tapped. When he got no response, he pulled out his phone so call her, but in that moment, his phone rang. He checked to see who was calling but it was an unknown number.

"Hello?" He answered cautiously.

"Oliver, you need to come down to the station now. Lance just arrested me!" Felicity cried into the receiver.

"Seriously? I'm going to send Dig to talk to Laurel, hopefully she can work something out. In the meantime I'm going to go to ask Bailey some questions about last night." Oliver responded.

"Okay...be safe." she replied softly.

"Felicity, I promise we are going to get you out of there." He said, before hanging up and calling Diggle.

"Hey, man, you on your way back?" Dig answered.

"Lance arrested Felicity, I need you to go talk to Laurel, see if she can talk her father into letting Felicity go." Oliver responded.

"We should've seen that coming." Dig replied, shaking his head. "I'm headed to Laurel now. In the mean time, you need to suit up and talk to Bailey before the club opens."

"I'm on it."

"Felicity Smoak. IT genius and tech extraordinaire. It's surprising to see you here for drunk driving rather than hacking." Lance smiled, sarcastically, taking a seat across from Felicity in the interrogation room. Felicity kept a straight face. "While I have you here, let's talk about your friend: the Hood, Arrow, whatever he's calling himself these days."

"I can tell you one thing, he's not going to be very thrilled that you arrested me." she replied, smiling back.

"Oh is that right? I'm counting on it, Smoak, because the second he steps foot in this precint, he's under arrest too." He explained as a knock sounded on the door. "Laurel, sweetie, what are you doing here? I'm busy." Laurel stepped inside.

"I've just come to let you know that my client is free to go." Laurel said, walking over to stand beside Felicity.

"Free to go? Under what jurisdiction? " he challenged.

"The jurisdiction where the DA said so." She stated, confidently, handing him a folded up paper.

"What's this?" he asked, opening and skimming over it. "Bullshit! She's not leaving until I speak to the DA myself!"

"Be my guest," Laurel smiled as her father left the room. She then turned to Felicity. "Don't worry, the DA owes me a favor. " she winked.

"I'm sorry you had to get involved Laurel." She apologized. "But thank you. I really appreciate it."

"The Arrow has done a lot for this city. The least I can do is hand him back his tech goddess, right?" Laurel replied, nonchalantly, right before her father walked back inside.

"You got off easy this time, Smoak. But next time, no one can help you weave your way out." He said angrily, uncuffing her hands and leaving.

"I owe you big time, Laurel." Felicity told her. Laurel helped her stand, knowing she was still in pain from the night before.

"Consider it a thanks for helping the Arrow clean up this city." she smiled.

_  
 _Meanwhile at Verdant, 6:30pm_

Bailey was standing behind the bar of the empty club, drying off the freshly cleaned glasses. She place the glasses on the bar as she dried them. One of the glasses shattered, after being hit with an arrow, startling her.

"Geez, dude! You scared the shit outta me!" she yelled, seeing the arrow pointed at her.

"What did you put in Felicity Smoak's drink last night?!" Oliver growled.

"What are you talking about!" Bailey yelled, "I didn't-"

"Bailey, don't play dumb with me!" He yelled, advancing towards her, arrow still aimed. "I've already checked the security cameras, so either you tell me the truth, or the next arrow goes in your eye!" He threatened.

"Okay! Okay!" She yelled, hands flying in the air.

"I'm listening."

"The guy who was here-" she started.

"What guy?!" he growled.

"The one that was getting handsy with Felicity... he threatened to kill my daughter if I didn't drug her." she admitted. "Please, Mr. Arrow sir, you have to believe me, I have a five year old at home!" she cried.

"What did you put in the drinks, Bailey?"

"I...I dunno, he didn't tell me what is was!" She cried out, shaking in fear. "I swear, I'm telling the truth!" Oliver slowly lowered his arrow.

"Where do I find him?" He pushed.

"I don't know!"

"What's his name? What does he look like? Work with me, Bailey!"

"Umm, he was maybe two or three inches shorter than you. Dark brown hair, green eyes, he was pretty unstable. He said to call him 'the Doctor'." She rushed out. "I swear to you, that's all I know." That was enough to tell Oliver who he needed to speak to next:

Dr. Abell.

Dig helped Felicity get settled back inside of her apartment.

"How are you feeling?" He asked, sitting on the edge of her bed, while she lie down.

"Everything hurts, Dig." She whimpered.

"Where's your pain meds?" He asked.

"Living room. Coffee table. Mmm, coffee. Want coffee." She smiled weakly, causing Diggle to smile back.

"Water for now, you need to get some rest. You had a pretty eventful 24 hours." He said, standing to head to the living room. Moments later, he returned with a small bottle of Tylenol codeine and a glass of water. He opened the bottle and dropped two of the pills into her awaiting palm. She sat up and dutifully swallowed the pills, chasing them with the water.

"Thank you," she spoke softly. "Hey, Dig... can I talk to you about something?" She asked, playing with a loose thread on her blanket.

"Anything," he said, gently placing a hand on her knee. "Is this about that 'talk' you and Oliver won't tell me about?" Felicity nodded slowly, then sighed.

"Yesterday... he told me that he can't be with me... and be the Arrow." She started. Diggle made a mental note to talk to Oliver, considering he'd already had this conversation with him. "Then he kissed me... and.. it just... tore me apart." Diggle leaned over to wipe the stray tear from her cheek.

"I'm sorry, Felicity." he whispered, gently pulling her into a hug, while she sobbed softly. She pulled back and wiped her eyes.

"Dig, there's so much going on right now, my emotions are everywhere." She admitted. "I can hardly think straight. And it's harder being around him. Having him...put his arm around my shoulder and kissing my forehead... I can't have him doing this... I-"

"So tell him that." He suggested. "Oliver does care about you. Hell, the man is in love with you. He just hasn't learned how to live both lifestyles simultaneously."

"I don't think he wants to." She said, honestly.

"Listen... Oliver is used to being a loner. He'd spent five years fending for himself then came here to start this crusade on his own." Diggle started. "You and I know better than anyone, the things he's done these last few years. He feels like he protecting you by keeping you at arms length. He just needs to understand that the best way to protect you is by keeping you close." Felicity sat in silence, pondering his words. She wished Oliver would take a page out of Dig's book.

"You know, I could really use that coffee," she smiled half-heartedly.

"Fine, but decaf for you." He smiled standing and grabbing her keys. "Don't open the door for anyone."

"Sir, yes sir!" She saluted as he left.

Oliver returned to Felicity's apartment around 8pm. He was dressed casually, but had his suit in his duffel bag. The trio was currently sitting at the kitchen island, finishing up dinner.

"Thanks for cooking," she smiled, "I know it wasn't easy with the one pot I own." Oliver nodded in response with a small smile.

"How have you been living here all this time with only one pot?" Dig asked with a laugh .

"I... can't cook..." she admitted with a sheepish grin.

"Well anytime you need a home cooked meal, just give me a call." Oliver smiled at her, causing her to look up at him through dark lashes and chew on her bottom lip.

"I'm gonna use the bathroom." Dig announced, eyeing the pair, and leaving them to talk. Felicity swallowed hard with an audible gulp.

"What's wrong, Felicity?" Oliver asked, concerned for the brilliant blonde sitting across from him. She exhaled and placed her palms flat on the table, as if she was bracing herself. He reached across the island with one hand to hold her's, but was taken aback when she quickly snatched it away. "Felicity, talk to me."

"It's... it's nothing." She said, hoping to put off the conversation for a while.

"If it was nothing, Dig wouldn't have suspiciously excused himself to the bathroom." Oliver started. "Look, I know that I probably made things awkward yesterday," he continued, referring to their conversation. "but no matter what's going on with you, you can always talk to me. I'll always be here for you." Felicity swallowed again.

"Oliver..." she started out, with her voice raspy, finally getting the guts to look him in the eye.

"What's up?" He urged gently.

"I need you to stop... toying with me." She responded, trying to put her feelings into words.

"Felicity, I'm not-"

"You are. I know you don't mean to, Oliver. And I know you only mean well, but you are. You're playing with my emotions and you don't even realize it." she whispered. He reached over to tuck a stray hair behind her ear, when she caught his hand. "This needs to stop." She said, barely above a whisper.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, looking down and lowering his hand to his lap.

"You told me that you can't be with me, then you kissed me and told me that you-"

"I meant it, Felicity. I do love you." He said, cutting her off.

"Then either stop pushing me away or keep it to yourself... please." She pleaded with him. "All the touching and forehead kisses... it's making it really hard for me, Oliver."

"I'm... so sorry.. I didn't mean to make to make you... uncomfortable." He said sheepishly. "If there was some other way... that I could be with you... and be-"

"But there's not!" Felicity raised her voice, standing. Oliver followed suit and stepped around the island to stand in front of her.

"I just want to keep you safe." he said. "If we're together you become a constant target."

"Oliv-" she started before he silenced her with a kiss. It started off slow, until he tangled his fingers into her hair and deepened it. His tongue teased her lower lip, and she felt herself getting lost in the moment, despite her better judgement. His right hand cupped the back of her neck, pulling the pajama clad blonde closer to him, while his left arm snaked around her small waist. Felicity's hands slid up his chest, softly pushing against him, making him break the kiss.

"Felicity Smoak, I'm-" he started.

"Don't say it, please." She said looking down, feeling the tears threatening to fall. One hand still on her waist, he gently lifted her head with one finger so she could look at him.

"I'm in love with you." He finished. "Please just bear with me... I promise you, I'm trying to... figure out how to balance this.. just please give me time." The tears instantly slid down her cheeks. He wiped them away with his thumb, before continuing. "I know it's... selfish of me to ask. But please give me time, Felicity."

"Is the air cleared?" Dig asked stepping out of the bathroom, causing them to break apart.

"Yeah, everything's fine!" Felicity lied, wiping her eyes and giving Dig a forced smile. He could easily see the pain written all over her face, but he didn't push it. "So, what's the plan for tonight?" She asked changing the subject and moving away from Oliver to sit back at the island

"Dig and I are going to head back to Starling Hospital. Abell's shift ends at 11, so the Arrow will have a long talk with him. Dig is going to break into the lab in there and grab your file from last night." Oliver explained.

"Bonus points if I can find a vile of your blood." Diggle chimed in.

"Speaking of which, did you get to talk to anyone at Star Labs?" Oliver asked, not making eye contact with Felicity.

"No, but it's fine. Let me test it myself... I need to be back in the lair. I need to feel like myself." She replied.

"Fine," he gave in. "When Dig and I get back-"

"Just let me go now, I don't need a babysitter." She complained. "I can be a better help to you guys with all of my tech." Oliver was about to debate, but Dig jumped in.

"Felicity's right, man. Don't worry, Roy can watch her." He suggested.

"Shit," Oliver muttered under his breath. "It's so much going on, I completely forgot about Roy." He admitted.

"Way ahead of you, brother. I've been keeping him up to date, he's been patrolling." Dig replied.

"Good." Oliver stated, with a nod, before turning to Felicity. "Get dressed, we'll drop you off on the way to the hospital." 


	4. Call Me "the Doctor"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Arrow awaits his chance to question Doctor Abell, while Dig breaks into the lab at Starling General; Felicity gets back in the lair and has a heart-to-heart with Roy.

"Oh, it feels _soooo_ good to be back in here. I mean, I know it hasn't been that long since I was here, but it feels like it has." Felicity smiled, sitting before her monitors and brushing her fingers across the keyboard. Diggle was in the bathroom, and Oliver was on the other side, sharpening his arrows, already suited up with his hood and mask off.

Roy smiled at the blonde, then walked towards her. He leaned against her desk and took a good look at her face. He was truly concerned about her when Diggle called and told him about the accident. He felt like she was the nicest person on the team, and quickly became a good friend of his. He could talk to her about things that he couldn't talk to Dig or Oliver about. She would be understanding towards him and give advice without judging him.

He inwardly wished that he could talk to his girlfriend, Thea, about things, but Oliver had told him that it was completely out of the question. That they had to keep this secret from Thea in order to keep her safe.

Felicity was usually the most optimistic one in the group, brightening their nights with her babbles and jokes. But looking at the blonde now, despite the forced smile on her face, she looked broken. Roy could see the hurt, worry, and anger in her eyes.

"Felicity, how are you feeling?" He asked softly, so that only she could hear.

"Good..." Felicity started, she looked down at her hands and began to fidget with her pen. "I mean the pain is there but the doctors prescribed me some Tylenol Codeine, and two of those babies knock the pain right out, but I'm in a little pain right now because I didn't take any before coming here, you know those things make you really drowsy and what good am I to Team Arrow if I'm-"

"Felicity, that's not what I meant." Roy interrupted softly. He put a finger under her chin and lifted her head to look at him. "How are you _really_?"

"Roy... I- I could have _killed_ someone... I can't let that go." She said, just barely over a whisper. Her eyes teared up in an instant. The truth was, she needed to really talk to someone about what she was feeling. Sure, she spoke to Oliver, but he kept cutting her off to try and convince her that it wasn't her fault. She would certainly have spoken to Dig about it, but his wife just gave birth. She couldn't burden him with her personal problems more than she'd already have.

"But you didn't. That's the important thing here. Well that and you were lucky enough to walk away with your life." Roy whispered back, seriously. Felicity looked down and pursed her lips, as Dig entered the space and headed towards Oliver.

"We'll talk about it when the guys leave." She whispered, turning her attention back to the monitiors. Seconds later she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up to meet his blue eyes and let out a soft sigh.

"Are you sure you're up for this tonight?" Oliver asked gently. He now had on his mask and his bow was in the other hand. His hood was still down and Diggle was waiting by the stairs. Felicity forced a smile and nodded. "Positive?"

" _Yes_ , Oliver, I'm fine. Now go find this guy." She replied, gently pushing against his arm. He surprised her went he bent down and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. When he pulled back, she blinked a few times, staring at him questioningly.

"I said I would try." He explained just above a whisper, popping the comm into his ear and giving her a small smile. Felicity nodded as he turned on his heel to leave with Diggle. As soon as they were gone, Roy pulled a chair up next to her and put his comm on the table as she switched hers off.

"So let's talk." He said, sitting with his chair facing hers. She swiveled in her chair to face him and took a deep breath.

"Roy... I... I don't know what happened... and that scares the hell out of me. I mean no offense to you guys, but I'm supposed to be the smart one in the group. Not the one who goes drunk driving because she can't control her emotions." She shook her head and looked down, releasing a sigh.

"Felicity, you made a _mistake_. To be honest, as far as we're concerned, you're not even at fault for it." Roy explained.

"I should've been able to think rationally enough that something like this wouldn't happen." She whispered, as a tear traveled down her cheek. "I feel so stupid." Roy scooted his chair closer to her and took her hands in his own.

"Listen, I've made countless reckless decisions before the Arrow saved me. Drunk driving was probably the _least_ dangerous thing I did." Roy started. "But I moved on from that, because I know that I had potential to be a better person than that. It's different with you because that's not the person you are. You are better than that and you will always be better than that."

Felicity looked down away, from Roy, and allowed his words to soak in. What he said made a lot of sense, but she just couldn't shake her feelings. The disappointment she had in herself was at a level that she hadn't felt since college, when she heard that Cooper had killed himself.

Back when Felicity was still attending MIT, she had dated a boy named Cooper, all while being a part of an organization known as Hacktivists. The name of the mysterious group said it all. They would hack into federal databases, and expose the corruption that was never intended to see the light of day. She created a... "super-virus" so to speak, and Cooper tried to use that to his advantage.

He was amidst wiping student loans, when Felicity stopped him. Something of that nature would have led directly back to her and regardless of her rebellious phase, that was trouble she definitely did not want. Of course Cooper was pissed that she stopped him, but when shit hit the fan, he took the fall.

Felicity was so angry when Cooper was arrested. She was angry with herself. As his trial approached closer and closer, she found herself in an emotionless state- how fitting to match with her goth era. The day before his trial, she got a call that Cooper had hung himself.

And she was devastated.

She hated herself. She hated the person she was. She hated that she had even created the virus to begin with. She was beyond disappointed in herself.

And that's how she felt right now.

Oliver and Diggle raced down the street on their respective Ducatis. Once they reached the hospital, the both parked in the nearby alleyway.

"I'll get inside and head to the lab." Diggle started. "You find that son of a bitch and do what you gotta do." Oliver nodded before speaking up.

"Alright, Abell's shift should be ending any minute. I'll wait for him in the parking lot." Oliver stated, as Diggle gave him one sharp nod, before heading inside. "Felicity?"

" _We really need to discuss getting me a codename."_ She said, her voice ringing through the come device in his ear. He could tell that she was trying to be herself, but the sadness was still evident in her voice.

"We'll discuss it after Abell is taken care of." He responded, smiling at her attempt. "Can you hack the hospital feeds, give me an update on Abell?"

_"It pains me that you feel the need to ask. I'm on it."_ She replied, Oliver nodded, though he knew she couldn't see, and headed for the parking lot, bow in hand.

He knew that Abell was unstable after seeing they way he acted towards Felicity, but speaking to Bailey told him that the man was clearly dangerous as well. He patiently awaited Felicity's response as he listened to her typing away.

" _That's odd.._." he heard her mutter.

"What is it?" He asked, curious to know what was going on.

_"Hmm..."_ she started. " _I'm not seeing Abell anywhere in the live feeds. I'm going to check the surveillance from earlier in the day to see if he left already."_

Oliver released a stressful sigh. He chose not to speak because he could feel his stress and anger bubbling to the surface, and the last thing he wanted to do was snap at Felicity for something she had no control of. After two minutes of complete silence, just the sound of the computer keys, he felt himself growing impatient.

"Felicity?" He pushed.

" _He left at around 4:30 this afternoon... he's not there."_ She replied.

Diggle slowly walked through the halls of the hospital. It wasn't a busy night, but he still had to be cautious of the doctors and security. He reached the lab, and went to twist the door knob, finding that it was locked.

"Felicity, lab door." He said into the comm device. He had been listening to her and Oliver speaking. He knew she was amidst checking the camera feeds for Abell, but he needed to hurry and get into the lab while no one was watching. He didn't hear her respond, but still heard the furious typing, before the door lightly buzzed.

The second Diggle entered, he pulled his gun from where it was tucked into the back of his jeans. He softly shut the door behind him, and lowered his gun when he saw that the lab was empty.

_"He left at around 4:30 this afternoon... he's not there."_ He heard her say to Oliver. He proceeded to the file cabinet, and sifted through the alphabetized folders, until he reached 'S' for Smoak. He found her file and quickly flipped through it to ensure it contained the necessary information. Finding that it did, he proceeded to search for a vile containing her blood sample.

Felicity frantically searched the traffic cameras near the hospital, trying to get a lead on Abell. Roy was focused on watching a live news feed on his phone.

"Okay, traffic cams after he left the hospital are showing him heading to Coast City." Felicity said over the comm, her voice tinged with confusion.

_"And after that?"_ Oliver asked. Felicity kept searching the camera feeds, hoping to find anything that led to Abell. In her desperate attempts, she realize that his car just vanished from the cameras. She couldn't see his car at all after entering Coast City.

In her mind, Abell may be good, but there was no way he was better than her. She went about trying to scrub the video feed, shockingly, to no avail. She removed her glasses, slamming them on the desk before her, breaking Roy's attention as she dropped her head into her hands.

"He's a smart one." She grumbled, scrubbing her hands over her face and sighing.

_"What happened?"_ Oliver asked, noticing how stressed she was getting. Felicity lifted her head and went back to typing furiously, ignoring Oliver and the screaming pain in her wrist. " _Fe-li-ci-ty."_

"I'm trying to deal with it, okay, just wait a minute!" She snapped. She stopped typing momentarily and took a deep breath. I'm sorry, it's just... whatever he did to the traffic cams, I can't see his car and I can't scrub the fe-" she stopped as Roy collapsed beside her on the floor. She instantly dropped to her knees, checking for a pulse before doing anything else. "Roy?!"

"What's going on?" Dig and Oliver asked simultaneously.

"Roy passed out but he's breathing," Felicity started as she checked him. She then noticed a small dart sticking out of the back of his neck, realizing that this meant they weren't alone in the lair. How could neither of them had heard someone enter? Why did she keep making foolish mistakes? "The foundry's been compromi-" she started, before a dart hit her as well, leaving her to pass out.

Oliver and Diggle were back at the foundry in less than ten minutes. Oliver flew down the stairs, barely holding the door for his teammate. Nothing appeared to be out of place, and Roy stood near the computers, with a concerned and confused look on his face. It was evident that he had just come to not very long ago.

"Where's Felicity?" Oliver asked instantly, tossing his bow on the floor.

"I- I woke up and she was gone." Roy began nervously, guilt plastered on his face. "I-" Oliver growled as he marched up to Roy and grabbed him by his red hoodie. Roy felt a rush of panic as he looked into the eyes of Arrow, considering that Oliver had yet to remove his hood or mask. Their faces were just inches apart.

"You had _ONE_ job, Roy! ONE _FUCKING_ JOB!" He yelled in his face, as Diggle came up behind him.

"Give the kid a break, Oliver!" Diggle yelled out, knowing that his closest friends was acting out of anger. Oliver released Roy, knocking him into the computer desk and causing the monitors to shake. He whipped around to look at Dig, fire burning in his eyes as he advanced on the muscular man.

"Give him a _break_?" He growled, his voice low, before he raised it. "Give him a _FUCKING BREAK_? Are you shitting right now, Dig?! Felicity is gone!"

"I get that, Oliver! But you acting out on impulse isn't gonna bring gonna bring her back!" Dig yelled back, unwilling to back down. Oliver sighed, dropping his hood from his head and tossing his mask aside, before scrubbing his hands over his face. "Get it together, man. I wanna find Felicity just as badly as you do, but don't misplace your anger."

Oliver knew that Diggle was right. Any time that he had acted out on impulse, it hadn't turned out well for anyone-himself included. Oliver took a deep breath and turned back to face Roy.

"Roy... what _happened_?" He asked, his tone much lower and calmer than before. The young, blue-eyed man looked back and Oliver before swallowing.

"Me and Felicity were sitting here, and she was working while I was watching the news..." Roy started. "Then I woke up on the floor with a dart sticking out of the neck and she was gone. I swear that all I remember." He said calmly, inwardly praying that Oliver wouldn't berate him for watching the news and not their surroundings.

Felicity awakened to darkness and immediately realized that her body felt cramped. She felt as though everything was hurting, and regretted skipping out on her pain medication before going to the lair. Desiring to alleviate the cramped feeling, she attempted to stretch her limbs, before realizing that she was in a small enclosed space. In the seconds following, she realized that there was a continuous movement, causing her body to sway in the darkness.

"Okay, Felicity, deep breaths." She whispered to herself, prior to following her own instructions. She raised her hands and felt the low, velvet ceiling above her, and instantly, she began to feel claustrophobic. "Oh frack! I'm in a _trunk_!" She yelled out, panicking as she banged on the ceiling, ignoring every ounce of physical pain coursing through her body. "Help! Someone help, please!"

She continued to scream until a sudden burst of music filled the car. Evidently, the driver turned on the music to drown out her cries. She released a nervous sigh as Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody pummeled her eardrums. She silently cried in the trunk for a few minutes before she felt the car slow to a stop. The song continued to loop over and over again, but now slightly lower. She heard the door opened and her heart rate quickened until she thought her heart was going to burst out of her chest.

Felicity could feel the weight shift of the car, signalling to her that the driver had gotten out, before she heard the door slam closed. She'd felt like her heart was ready to break through her rib cage and she wondered if her kidnapper was about to open the trunk. She began running through every single self-defense technique that Diggle had taught her. There was no way she was going down without a fight, no matter how much pain she was in.

"Talk about a shitty week," she mumbled to herself. "First date with Oliver gets kaboomed, Oliver dumps me- I mean could he _actually_ dump me if he was technically never my boyfriend? - I'd taken up drunk driving, I totaled my car, my poor car, and now I'm in a trunk talking to myse-" she silenced herself to listen to the voice outside of the car.

"Okay, sir, I'll be inside if you need anything else and thanks for choosing Tresni Gas."

"Thank you."

They were at a gas station! Which means other people. She needed any help she could get, so she began to think about a way out of the trunk. She remembered being in Oliver's car and him explaining to her the purpose of a back seat pass through. Not all cars have it, but if this one did, she'd at least be able to squeeze from the trunk to the back seat.

She began searching with her hands for a backseat release handle below where the back window would be. Realizing that there was no handle, she cursed the car for not having a pass-through. She was going to have to forcefully break through the back seat. She took a deep breath considering that she was still in pain from her accident and shifted her body so that her legs were bent and her feet were pressed up against the back of the seats.

"Okay, Felicity, you can do this." She whispered to herself. She gave it her all and put as much force as she could into kicking through the seats. She kicked repeatedly, as hard as she possibly could, feeling the pain rush up from her feet to her thighs. But she couldn't stop, her survival depended on it.

One last forceful kick broke through the seat and she slightly smiled in relief. She knew it was a great chance that her kidnapper was near the car and so she would have to muster up her strength and adrenaline and try to fight him. She squeezed her body through into the backseat, wincing in pain from the tight space.

Once in the backseat, she quickly surveyed her surroundings, looking through each car window, seeing how dark it was outside. She didn't see anyone near the car, so she grabbed the handle and got out. It was dark and deserted outside and she decided to make a run for it before her kidnapper returned. She'd only gotten a few steps before she felt a strong hand grab her upper arm, halting her.

"Going so soon?" The familiar voice began. "We haven't even got to the fun part yet." Felicity recognized the voice instantly.

"Abell?" She whispered, more of a statement than a question. He pulles her body so her back was against him and a cool cloth pressed over her mouth. She struggled a bit before passing out.

"Call me the Doctor." He smiled, wickedly, dragging her body back towards the car.

"Hey!" The gas station worker yelled, approaching the pair. "What are you doing to this lady?!" Dropping Felicity's limp body on the ground, Abell pulled a gun from his hip and shot the man three times, killing him. Abell turned back to face Felicity and shook his head.

"If you'd been a good girl and stayed in the trunk, he would've gotten to live." He said, shaking his head as he walked back to the car. He almost instantly saw the damage she'd done to the backseat and growled. "You smart little _bitch_!" He yelled, turning around furiously and delivering a hard kick to her ribs. He looked around the gas station, noticing a black minivan parked along the side, and his phone rang as he approached it. He pulled the phone out of his back pocket as he walked and stopped in front of the car.

"Yeah," he answered, already knowing who was on the other line.

" _Do you have the girl?"_ The deep voice asked.

"Yeah, she tried to escape, but chloroform sure does come in handy." Abell replied, smugly. "I really wanna have some fun with this one."

_"I don't give a damn what you do to her, pervert. Just keep her alive."_

"Why do you need her alive so badly?"

" _Because Oliver Queen is going to watch me torture her. Then I'LL be the one to kill her. Right in front him."_

"Too bad... she's cute. But at least I'll get to fuck her before she's dead. She wouldn't even give me the time of day at the club."

" _Enough_!" The voice growled. "Have _Bailey meet us at the warehouse."_

"Sure thing, Slade."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a heads up, if sexual assault DOES happen in the next chapter, there will be a bolded warning, and even so, won't be expressed in great detail


	5. The Girl with the Glasses

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's taken so long to update. I know I've slowed down dramtically. The last few weeks have been rough on me, what with a scary and potentially life threatening diagnosis- and I still can't figure out how to tell my fiancé :(
> 
> I was feeling a bit to depressed to write, but getting back into my writing has proved to be a major distraction, which I so desperately needed. So thank you to Lloyd of you who patiently stuck around. I will be updating all of my stories today.
> 
> Lots of Love,
> 
> cloverlotus

Felicity awakened to a burning sensation in her nose, the smell of bleach deeply penetrating her nostrils. Every single muscle in her body ached, and according to her vision, her glasses had been removed. Her eyes flitted around the dingy room, attempting to make out her surroundings.

The room was dimly lit, with no windows, leaving it deficient of natural light. She hadn't the slightest clue as to what time of day it was, nor how long she'd been out. Felicity tried to sit up, only then noticing her ankles and wrists bound to the four-post bed.

That's when the panic began to set in, all of the recent events flooding back to her memory.

And Roy!

She hoped to goodness that he was alright. She also wondered if he was nearby, considering that he was knocked out before she was.

Her thoughts were cut short when the door opened. Her heart began to beat erratically and she could feel her palms growing sweaty.

"Miss Smoak." The large figure said, his voice deep and laced with an Australian accent. The voice immediately sent chills up her spine.

There was no way.

It couldn't be.

They locked him up on Lian Yu.

In an A.R.G.U.S. fortified prison.

"I've been waiting so long to see you again, Miss Smoak."

Slade Wilson.

It's been two days since the team had seen or heard from Felicity, and to be blunt, Oliver was livid. The trio had spent the first night searching Starling before Diggle suggested calling it a night. To no one's surprise, Oliver wasn't too fond of that idea, arguing that Felicity could be dead by then.

Someone clearly wanted her out of the picture, but why?

Then that night, the team received a message from Abell.

Oliver's hands were trembling. He was aching to hit something. The team had just regrouped at the foundry and he still couldn't wrap his head around "calling it a night".

Stripping off his Arrow gear in a haste, he changed into a black t-shirt and dark blue jeans. Standing in the bathroom, he gripped the edge of the sink until his knuckles turned white. A rush of emotions flood through him. Everything from anger to sadness to fear. A part of him wanted to cry— something he hadn't done since his mother's death. The other part wanted to break something. Wanted to find Abell and snap his fingers one by one, then shove them down his throat.

Oliver's eyes flicked up to the mirror as rage engulfed him. Without thought, he drew back his right hand, delivering a glass-shattering right hook to the defenseless mirror. The reflective shards, fell into the sink for the most part, some small pieces piercing his knuckles.

What the hell was he going to do if he lost Felicity?

He heard Roy calling his name, and he sighed before rejoining his colleagues. As he approached, he noticed the two men facing Felicity monitors.

"Tell me you have a lead?" he pleaded. Simultaneously, Roy and Digg stepped aside, allowing Oliver to see the monitor. He angrily marched up to the screen, his heart constricting with animosity. "Where. Is. She." He growled, sounding like more like a demand than a question. Abell flashed his pearly whites, before shifting the camera.

There she was.

Felicity had a few small scratches on her face, a small purple bruise above her left eyebrow. Her blonde locks were in a barely-held-together ponytail and her glasses were gone. But the most concerning thing to Oliver, was that the beautiful blonde was unconscious.

"Don't worry your pretty little head, Mr. Queen. She's alive… for now." The deranged man smiled wickedly.

"What do you want?" Oliver ground out, his voice so low, it almost sounded like he was using his voice modulator.

"I want to make the blonde scream." He smirked evilly before shutting off the camera.

Then there was the next day.

Oliver was at the foundry before seven a.m., even though he'd just went homeless than five hours prior. He couldn't sleep the night before. Not when he didn't know what was going on with Felicity.

On his way to the foundry, Oliver had found himself purchasing two large cans of red bull and an extra large black coffee. He desperately needed the energy if they were going to find detailed Felicity. Oliver was prepared to go to whatever lengths necessary, so long as it meant finding the woman he loved.

He replayed the video over and over, hoping for clues. Hoping that the answer would magically appear. By the time Diggle and Roy came in, Oliver had already polished off the energy drinks and half of his coffee.

"You didn't sleep last night, huh?" the massive-armed man asked, nodding his head towards the dented Red Bull cans.

"Did you?" Oliver asked, pausing the video before facing his friends.

"Not for lack of trying." Digg replied.

"Coast City today?" Roy spoke up, Oliver nodding before he'd finished the sentence. He sighed just as a video feed appeared on the monitor. The camera was focused on Felicity, tied to a bed. The room she was in had charcoal grey walls and no windows.

The three men stared at the video in confusion. Oliver felt his heart constricting at the sight of a still unconscious Felicity. She was now dressed in a fitted black t-shirt and black jeans, her feet bare. His anger pulsate at the idea of Abell touching her. Seeing her unclothed; and he hoped to God that Abell hadn't done anything else.

Just then, a figure sat in front of the camera, blocking Felicity. The sight of the man made his blood run cold.

It couldn't be.

Slade Wilson gave a menacing smile at the shocked faces of team Arrow.

"How nice to see you again, kid." He grinned. "Even nicer seeing the girl with the glasses again."

"Why are you doing this?" Oliver growled, a million thoughts wracking his brain.

"Don't act like you don't know, kid. You can't possibly be naïve enough to think we were even." Slade laughed.

"She's done nothing wrong!" Oliver screamed at the monitor, his blood boiling.

"She's the reason you were able to lock me up! What? You thought you got rid if me forever? Well, the jokes on you, kid, and I can't wait for you to see what I have in store for her.

Today was day three and a search of Coast City has led the men nowhere. THIS is why he couldn't be with Felicity. He knew that this would happen. THIS is exactly what he was trying to avoid.

Now Felicity was in trouble because of him.

Oliver repeated his previous days routine of Red Bull and coffee. The previous night was ridden with nightmares, all showcasing the worst case scenarios of Slade holding Felicity. He willed himself to sleep a couple of hours, knowing that he needed to be on top of his game in order to find the babbling blonde.

He came into the foundry, demolishing his beverages and then hit the salmon ladder. After about fifteen minutes, his eyes flitted towards Felicity's desk, having to do a double take when he saw a head of blonde hair in her chair. Losing his focus, Oliver's hand slipped from the bar, the heavy metal clattering to the floor as he landed flat on his back.

"Shit, Ollie! You scared the hell out of me!" Sara yelled, as she approached him.

"Sara? What are you doing here?" Oliver asked, grimacing as she helped him up.

"Roy got in contact, and said that you guys can use some help." She shrugged, Oliver nodding in reply, solemnly. "I'm really sorry, Ollie. I know you love her, but I promise you, we're going to find her."

Oliver was about to open his mouth to reply, when Digg and Roy headed down the stairs.

"Any leads?" Roy asked.

"Not yet, but I'm hoping that Slade contacts you guys again. I'm no Felicity, but keep him talking long enough and I can trace the IP address." Sara answered, as the monitor flickered.

"Speak of the devil, and he shall appear." Digg murmured as the circled around the monitors. Oliver sat in front of the screen, Sara beside him, already typing away.

"Mr. Queen, look who's finally awake." Slade smiled. Felicity was still in the black outfit, now bound to a chair, with Abell and Slade on either side. Her face was streak with tears and her hair loose and messy over her shoulders. Oliver heart broke instantly at the sight. She was in this position because of him. She had a piece of black duct tape over her mouth, cutting down the sound of her sobs.

"Let her go." Oliver growled, his hands closed into two tight fists. "This is between you and me. So why don't you leave her out of this and fight me like a man."

"Such tough talk, kid." Slade smiled as Abell chuckled, brushing his hand over Felicity thigh. Despite being bound, she attempted to shrink away from the manning doctor. "You and I will have our time. But only when I'm done with her."

Slade smirked, before pulling out a blade at least four inches long, and jamming it in her left thigh. The team gasped as Felicity shrieked in pain, the sound muffled by tape. Sara gestured for Oliver to keep Slade talking.

"Slade. Please. I'm begging you. Leave her alone." Oliver said, his voice weak and his tongue feeling thick and dry.

"Aww, he begs." Slade mocked, ripping the tape from Felicity mouth. She immediately gasped for air, then sucked in a harsh breath as Slade twisted the knife in her leg. "I'd that what Shado did before you killed her? Did she began for her life before you let her die?"

"Slade—"

"You listen to me kid. Karma's a cold-blooded bitch, and you're about to meet her in the flesh." He said, pulling a syringe from his pocket.

Mirakuru.

"Slade, don't!" Oliver yelled, just as the Australian plunged the needle into Felicity arm. She growled in pain as the substance was injected and Oliver stood, throwing the chair across the foundry. Felicity threw her head back, continuing to grunt in pain as blood stain tears slid down her cheeks.

"Got 'em!" Sarah called, an address popping up on her screen.

Slade was a dead man once Oliver got his hands on him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I probably am, but I hope I'm not contradicting myself by having Sara alive. Im not going to delve much into that back story though. Anywho, I hope you enjoyed- especially that I opted to skip out on the potential sexual assault. I figured I write enough angstiness (soooo not a word) as is. Let me know what you think in the reviews!
> 
> xoxo cloverlotus


	6. Author's Note

First and foremost, a huge thank you to every single commenter and supporter. I know it's been a while since I've given you an update and I'm eternally sorry. I will be replying to comments throughout the week! 

So, for the explanation. 

Chemo has been a cold hearted bitch.

I haven't had any improvements and frankly I've been exhausted and sick all of the time. My appetite is nonexistent and I haven't felt happy in a while. Thus, I've been majorly uninspired.

I'm sorry if I got your hopes up thinking it was an update, but I promise that I will not abandon any of my stories. 

I am currently working on Arrow through a Clover, Light in the Dark, an untitled one-shot, a NYE one shot (that I started back in December), Forgive Me, and up in Smoak. I will get everything updated as soon as I can. I intend on having AtaC and Forgive Me updated next week.

Thank you all for your patience and please continue to bear with me. 

 

Lots of Love ,

Chloe Lovato aka cloverlotus


	7. Lian Yu

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team Arrow investigates the warehouse in Blüdhaven; Slade and Felicity have a talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know... it's about damn time. Lol

“Nice to see You, Kid”

"Slade. Please. I'm begging you. Leave her alone." Oliver said, his voice weak and his tongue feeling thick and dry.

"Aww, he begs." Slade mocked, ripping the tape from Felicity mouth. She immediately gasped for air, then sucked in a harsh breath as Slade twisted the knife in her leg. "Is that what Shado did before you killed her? Did she began for her life before you let her die?"

"Slade—"

"You listen to me kid. Karma's a cold-blooded bitch, and you're about to meet her in the flesh." He said, pulling a syringe from his pocket.

Mirakuru.

"Slade, don't!" Oliver yelled, just as the Australian plunged the needle into Felicity arm. She growled in pain as the substance was injected and Oliver stood, throwing the chair across the foundry. Felicity threw her head back, continuing to grunt in pain as blood stain tears slid down her cheeks.

"Got 'em!" Sara called, an address popping up on her screen.

"Where are they?" Oliver growled, a fire burning in his eyes as he stared at the blank computer screen.

"Blüdhaven."

The team moved into the warehouse, Oliver feeling relieved that they finally had a location, but still terrified of how they may find Felicity. He and Roy had their arrows nocked and ready, Sara's batons were prepared to do damage, and Dig was itching to fire, his guns loaded.

Getting into the warehouse was almost too easy, and Oliver had to assume that it was because Slade knew they were coming. He told his team to be prepared for the worst. The last time they dealt with Slade, he was constantly steps ahead of them. Everyone needed to be on their a-game. Felicity's life was at stake.

And once again, as per usual, she was in danger because of him. Oliver would never forgive himself if something happened to her. He knew that Slade wasn't the kind of man to bluff. He was ruthless, heartless.

And if he really wanted to, he would kill her without a second thought.

The team split up, Sara tagged with Oliver and Roy with Diggle, to cover more ground. The place was larger than they'd expected, and the sooner they found their comrade, the better.

Roy and Diggle started at opposite ends of a hallway, checking each of the many rooms, one at a time. Four rooms turned up blank, until Roy stopped, hearing a whimpering noise come from one of the rooms.  
"Guys," he began over the comm device, "I think I got something."

"We're coming your way." Oliver replied, "Spartan, backup Arsenal, and check it out."

"Copy." Diggle responded, moving to stand by Roy, as the younger man pushed the door open. The men froze at the sight. There was a laptop playing a video of Felicity in a different location. She was chained to a chair, blood streaking her face, as she whimpered, half unconscious.

"She's not here." Roy whispered. It was only moments before Oliver and Sara came up behind them.

"What do you mean she's not--" Oliver stopped in his tracks, sad blue eyes surveying the Felicity-less room. "Son of a bitch." He muttered, a sigh of defeat, escaping his lips. He surveyed the dark grey room. A standard double bed in the center of the room, a surveillance camera mounted to a corner of the ceiling, and the overpowering smell of bleach. There was a lone nightstand beside the bed and that where he saw them.

"She was here." He whispered, headed for the nightstand and retrieving Felicity’s glasses.

"Oliver." Diggle spoke after when he realized Oliver wasn't saying anything else. The Arrow's eyes snapping over to his first teammate in this crusade. The man who told him to keep Felicity far away from this. He felt a pang of regret for not listening to him. "Oliver, what's our next move?" Dig asked.

''Gather up everything. Laptop, camera... look for other evidence. Check all of the other rooms here." he began, then turned to Sara. "Can you try to trace the video from this laptop?"

"I'll do my best." she replied, grabbing the piece of tech.

"We're setting up base here. Going back to Starling is going to put us to far off of their trail." Oliver explained, as his team sprung into action.

"They're moving her." Sara said, as the chair Felicity was chained to was effortlessly picked up and moved out of sight by Slade.

* * *

 

All of the pain that wracked Felicity's body over the last 48 hours seemed to dissipate. She awakened chained to a bed, the pain of her injuries completely gone. Healed.

The _mirakuru._

With just the slightest tug, her wrists broke free of the chains. Her glasses-free eyes quickly surveyed the room, distracted by how crystal clear her sight was. Leaning forward, Felicity made quick work of the chains that bound her ankles to the bed posts.

It wasn’t a room.

It was a cell.

And if she was right, (she prayed to the heavens that she wasn’t—but let’s be real, she’s _Felicity_ and the chances of her being wrong were slim), this cell…

This particular cell… was ARGUS fortified in the south west quadrant of Lian-Yu.

Lian. _FUCKING._ Yu.

Her mind raced with thoughts before coming to one.

_How fucking long was I out?_

She stood from the bed, just in time to see Slade Wilson walking in. Instant rage bloomed in her stomach, as she snarled— something she knows she’s never done before.

“Oh relax, Miss Smoak.” He smirked, his thick Australian accent taunting her with each word. “I am on your side after all.” What the hell was he talking about?

Slade pulled up a chair, sitting about a foot away from Felicity, the cell bars between them. Just as she made a reach for the bars, he click his tongue at her.

“They voltage of electricity that are running through those cell bars, Miss Smoak, is so high, that just touching it with the tip of a finger will stun you into cardiac arrest. I don’t think that works in _either_ of our favor.” Felicity’s hand was suspended mid air, as she mutely scrutinized the man before her. “I thought ahead and planned this all out Miss Smoak.” He said as though replying to her thoughts.

“What do you want?” she growled, sounding more like a statement than a question.

“Simple, Miss Smoak.” Slade responded, a smile coming to his face as he stood directly across from Felicity. “I want to help you.”

“Help me?!” she spat, her face a mere inch from the bars as she stared down the Australian Mirakuru solder. _“You_ put me in here! _You_ did this to me!”

“Yes. I did. But all to help you Miss Smoak.” He answered, not at all intimidated by the five-foot-five blonde. “You can’t tell me you’re not angry with Oliver Queen.”

“I’m not.” She growled.

“No?” Slade smirked. “It doesn’t bother you how Oliver… the Arrow just plucked you from your boring little life? How he’s known all along that you were in love with him. How he used you all along and slept with all of these other women without giving you a second lo—”

“You’re wrong.” Felicity interrupted. Oliver had told her that he loved her. That he was in love with her. Slade didn’t know what he was talking about.

“Miss Smoak, surely you aren’t that naïve. You’re a genius, you’re supposed to be smarter than this.” He replied, his tone sounding disappointed.

“Oliver loves me.” She responded, putting as much confidence into her words as possible.

“Then why hasn’t he come for you? I told him exactly where we are two days ago.” Slade lied, his words piercing Felicity’s heart. “I have sources in Starling watching your beloved team. And do you know where Oliver Queen was last night?”

Felicity stayed silent, turning her back to Slade. She didn’t want to hear anymore of this.

“He went to Laurel’s place.” He continued, making a burning ball of anger bloom within her.

“Shut up.” She growled, her voice low.

“And do you know what they did, Miss Smoak?”

“Shut. UP!” She yelled, turning back to face him, feeling angrier than she’s ever had in her life.

“They _fucked.”_ He continued. “Over and over and over.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“To show you. To make you understand that you and I have a common enemy.”

“I’m gonna kill him. I’m going to kill Oliver Queen.” Felicity growled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the next chapter, we get a probably not so well written fight scene. Thank you all for your support and we'll wishes. It means the world to me. I'm currently working on Up in Smoak, so it should be updated some time next week.
> 
> Side note: My birthday is less than a week away!!! :)

**Author's Note:**

> So, what did you guys think of this first chapter? I really want to make this story long. So send me your reviews, questions, concerns, comments, etc. Thanks for reading!
> 
> xoxo cloverlotus


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